registrar: definition

A registrar is the company you deal with when you register a domain name. It signs the contract with you, keeps your contact details and records the name at the registry, the organization that runs the top-level domain. For names such as .com a registrar needs approval from ICANN; for country domains such as .es, each country’s registry sets its own rules.

What a registrar is

ICANN’s Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) describes the work of a registrar: contracting The stage when a successful applicant signs its Registry Agreement with ICANN. Full definition of contracting with registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition of registrant, collecting their registration data The information kept about a domain and its owner. Full definition of registration data and submitting the registration to the database of the registry, which runs the TLD top-level domain The last part of a domain name, after the final dot. Full definition of TLD.

For gTLDs, a registrar must be accredited by ICANN and sign the RAA. As of October 2026, the current text is the one the ICANN Board ICANN's board of directors, which adopts policies and approves key decisions. Full definition of ICANN Board approved on 21 January 2024; an amendment to existing agreements took effect on 5 April 2024. ICANN does not set registrar prices, and no registrar may claim better access to a registry than other registrars accredited for it.

ccTLD registries run their own schemes. For .es, a Spanish ministerial order of 19 May 2005 calls registrars “agentes registradores acreditados”, lets Red.es The Spanish public body that manages the .es domain through its unit Dominios.es. Full definition of Red.es set their requirements, and also allows applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant to go directly to Red.es.

Every domain has one registrar of record The registrar that currently manages a given domain at the registry. Full definition of registrar of record, the sponsoring registrar that placed the record at the registry. Sponsorship changes when the registrant asks for a transfer, or under ICANN rules when a registrar loses its accreditation.

Registrars and resellers: who you are really buying from

A reseller A business that sells domains using another registrar's accreditation. Full definition of reseller sells domain names under its own brand, but the registration goes through an accredited registrar. Under the RAA, the registrar remains responsible for the service even when a reseller provides it.

Resellers may not present themselves as ICANN-accredited without written permission from ICANN. They must name the sponsoring registrar, or give a way to find it, such as a link to ICANN’s registration data lookup tool, and they must tell a customer which registrar it is when asked.

You can check this yourself: an RDAP Registration Data Access Protocol The modern protocol for looking up domain registration data, replacing WHOIS. Full definition of RDAP lookup of the name shows the registrar of record and its IANA registrar ID The unique number that identifies an ICANN-accredited registrar. Full definition of IANA registrar ID. Because the registrar sponsors the name, the name normally stays with that registrar if the reseller closes.

Retail, wholesale and corporate registrars

These are industry label One dot-separated part of a domain name, up to 63 characters long. Full definition of label, not ICANN categories. All three kinds sign the same RAA for gTLDs.

A retail registrar A registrar that sells domains directly to individuals and small businesses. Full definition of retail registrar sells directly to the public, usually through its own website, and sets its own prices.
A wholesale registrar A registrar that sells domains mainly through resellers and not directly to the public. Full definition of wholesale registrar sells mainly through resellers and gives them the technical connection to many registries.
A corporate registrar A registrar that manages domain portfolios for large companies and brands. Full definition of corporate registrar manages large domain portfolio A collection of domains held by one owner. Full definition of portfolio for companies and brands, often with extra security, legal and monitoring services.

A registrar family A group of ICANN registrar accreditations controlled by one company. Full definition of registrar family is a group of affiliated accreditations; the RAA calls it an “Applicable Registrar Family”. ICANN’s list includes numbered series of near-identical names, so the IANA registrar ID helps tell them apart.

As of October 2026, the IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority The functions that coordinate the root zone, IP addresses and protocol numbers. Full definition of IANA list dated 8 October 2026 shows 3,320 accredited registrars. The figure counts accreditations, not companies.

How a company becomes an accredited registrar

As of October 2026, ICANN’s process runs in this order:

Apply. ICANN replies within 30 days of receiving a complete application, then invoices a US$3,500 fee that is not refunded, whatever the outcome.
If approved, sign the RAA for a five-year term, sign a data escrow Backup copies of registration data held by an independent agent in case a registry or registrar fails. Full definition of data escrow agreement and pay the yearly fee.
ICANN notifies the registries. The registrar then agrees contract, payment and technical details with each registry operator The organization that holds the contract or mandate for a TLD and sets its rules. Full definition of registry operator, passes its tests and can start selling.

Ongoing ICANN fees The contract fees that registries and registrars pay to fund ICANN. Full definition of ICANN fees, as of October 2026, are US$4,000 a year (or four payments of US$1,000), a variable fee shared among all active registrars, and US$0.20 per registration, renewal Paying to extend a domain registration for more time. Full definition of renewal or transfer. For first-time applicants, ICANN treats US$70,000 of liquid working capital as adequate.

Step 3 is registry accreditation A registry's approval for a registrar to sell domains in its TLD. Full definition of registry accreditation, a separate approval for each TLD. EURid The nonprofit registry that runs .eu under contract with the European Commission. Full definition of EURid, which runs .eu, asks for a prepayment of 2,500 euros and at least 500 euros of payable transactions a year (as of October 2026).

Accredited registrars must also deposit a copy of registration data with an escrow A neutral service holding payment until a domain is transferred. Full definition of escrow agent, keep an abuse contact The published contact where registrars and registries receive abuse reports. Full definition of abuse contact, publish how customers can complain, and follow the UDRP Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ICANN's out-of-court process for trademark disputes over domain names. Full definition of UDRP.

How to choose a registrar: price, security and support

Under the RAA, you are entitled to know the identity of your registrar and must not face hidden fees, deceptive notices or false advertising, and registrars must publish their customer service and complaint processes. In return, you must answer your registrar’s inquiries within 15 days, keep your account data current and, if your name renews automatically, keep your payment details current.

Useful questions before you buy:

What do renewal and transfer cost, not only the first year?
Does the account offer 2FA two-factor authentication A login needing a second proof besides the password, protecting registrar accounts. Full definition of 2FA, and is a registrar lock A registrar-set lock that blocks transfers until the owner removes it. Full definition of registrar lock or registry lock A registry-level lock that strongly protects a domain against unauthorized changes. Full definition of registry lock available?
In which languages and through which channels is support offered?

The answers depend on each registrar’s terms. Read them, and use the registrar’s published complaint process if a problem arises.

What happens if your registrar goes out of business

An accreditation can end in three ways: the registrar gives it up with 30 days’ notice, it is not renewed, or ICANN terminates it (usually after 15 days’ notice, immediately for insolvency). ICANN can first suspend new registrations Domains newly created in a period, also called adds or creates. Full definition of new registrations and inbound transfers for up to 12 months.

Data escrow lets ICANN move the names even if the failing registrar does not cooperate. That is the normal outcome, but ICANN’s procedure also lists fallbacks, such as letting names expire on their dates.

The Transfer Policy ICANN's rules for moving gTLD domains between registrars and changing registrants. Full definition of Transfer Policy then allows a bulk transfer Moving many domains between registrars in one registry operation, with ICANN approval. Full definition of bulk transfer to one gaining registrar The registrar a domain is being transferred to. Full definition of gaining registrar accredited for the TLD. For the registrant, as of October 2026: the transfer costs nothing, the expiry date is not extended, the gaining registrar should send instructions, and it may refuse transfers out for the first 60 days. If the name expires soon, contact the gaining registrar. The ICANN Board adopted changes to the Transfer Policy on 7 June 2026; they are not yet in force, and these details may change once ICANN implements them.

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